Breaking the Silos: A Practical Guide to Fighting Corruption with a Human Rights-Based Approach

Historically, the human rights and anti-corruption movements have operated largely in silos, with limited collaboration among civil society organisations (CSOs) and among international organisations. This is why the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Transparency International have decided to ally. As a first step, through this guide, FIDH and Transparency International seek to strengthen and develop shared strategies across their networks and beyond.

Transparency International and FIDH believe that by joining forces, placing victims at the centre of legal proceedings and advocacy, and applying a human rights-based approach, the anti-corruption and human rights communities can make meaningful progress in addressing corruption—especially grand corruption—and related human rights violations. Recognising how corruption fuels human rights abuses is essential to protecting and promoting human dignity.

This guide seeks to equip human rights defenders and anti-corruption advocates with practical tools to promote accountability for corrupt acts committed by corporations, public officials, and individuals that undermine democracy and human rights. It also provides strategies for holding states accountable when grand corruption results in human rights violations. Designed as a bridging resource for CSOs from both movements, the guide helps practitioners document, denounce, and litigate cases where corruption and human rights harms intersect.